However, an abysmal performance could suddenly thrust him into a prove-it year next season. This is a business at the end of the day, and San Antonio will do what they believe will benefit the team. That could also include trading him in the offseason or at the deadline, so they don’t have another Jeremy Sochan situation. They got nothing in return for his services, and that’s not how teams prefer to operate.<\/p>\n
His $17 million contract will make him fairly easy to move, and his reputation as a popular locker room guy with infectious energy on and off the court will ensure he has plenty of suitors. Again, I believe it would take a horrendous performance from KJ for this to happen, though. <\/p>\n
Harrison Barnes’ re-signing could be at risk<\/p>\n
Barnes has a bad playoff reputation that’s followed him throughout his NBA career. He didn’t always perform well at his first stop in the league with the Golden State Warriors when the postseason rolled around\u2014though some of the criticism is overblown. <\/p>\n
He’s a champion from his time spent there. Barnes turned in some pretty bad games, but when you’re playing on the sport’s biggest stage, that gets magnified. In the 2015 NBA Finals that earned him a title, HB actually elevated his three-point percentage from 41% in the regular season to 42%. He was only in his third year and was being asked to guard prime LeBron James. Give him a break.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he didn’t really show up when the Cavaliers were rising from the ashes in 2017\u2014his final year with the team\u2014or the one time he made the playoffs with Sacramento in 2023. The veteran wing went 2-14 and 0-8 in back-to-back games against Cleveland and shot a miserable 24% from deep in the latter series vs. his old team, the Warriors. <\/p>\n
Barnes is in the last year of his deal, and at almost 34 years old, the Spurs may be able to get him back on a team-friendly contract. And while he has to want that first, so <\/a>does<\/a> San Antonio. That preference could come down to whether his postseason woes were just a few bad stretches or a continuous trend that can’t be avoided. <\/p>\n De’Aaron Fox could have his Spurs tenure cut short<\/p>\n Everything about the De’Aaron Fox acquisition has gone pretty swimmingly. Some believe that San Antonio would have done things differently at last year’s trade deadline had they known they’d acquire the number two overall pick. My response to that is, I guess we’ll never know. But I don’t believe they regret it. <\/p>\n I do believe that they’re willing to pivot if they decide it’s in their best interest, though. Fox has been everything the team has needed this year. His leadership has shown up in a major way, and his selflessness has allowed Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper to grow without him impeding the way by demanding more touches. <\/p>\n
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